How to take care of your Changeling
by BirdsHorsesAndOtherProblems
Summary: This is a guide for you, from the Multiverse Scientific Bureau, on how to handle the latest trend pet: the changeling!
1. An introduction to changelings

The Equestrian **changeling** (Equus equestrianensis changelingis) is an equine-shaped creature with insectoid characteristics, native to the Badlands region of the southern part of the continent of Equestria, located on its eponymous planet. It is noteworthy for its unusual diet of others' care and affection, and its ability to change its physical appearance at will, similar to the European mythological creatures of the same name.

Its outer body is a black exoskeleton, resembling a hybrid of a beetle's and an ant's, with a blue plate on its back from its withers to its rump, where it rests its cyan webbed wings. Each of the four legs that sprout from its body are riddled with several holes on the sections nearer to their hooves, which are mostly covered with their bodies' exoskeletal substance (save for the soles, which are of a fleshy material for the occasional hoof-holding). Two mane-like fins course from its bare head down its upper neck, and a curved horn protrudes from its forehead for its magical abilities. Its teeth resemble those of their "normal" Equestrian pony counterparts, but with two long fangs it uses (alongside all four legs) to attack enemies or defend itself. A blackish-grey webbed tail sprouts out on its rump.

The height of the average changeling, from legs to withers is approximately 41 inches, around the same height as those of the Equestrian and Shetland ponies. Its average weight is around 573 lbs. , a bit lighter than an Equestrian pony's 800~1,400 lbs. (800~1,000 for Unicorns, 1,100~1,290 for Earth Ponies, and 1,400 for Pegasi)

The changeling's diet is mostly on "love", which is usually affectionate feelings created by other beings, picked up by receptors on the neck that converts those "feelings" into chemicals that its stomach digests and nourishes its body. That same "love" is more stronger if it is from a more sapient being, and even more if the changeling itself _is_ the recipient of said "love". However, "love" produced by another changeling does not provide enough strength to sustain one changeling, although the queen's "love" is roughly equivalent to the amount produced by only a single Equestrian alicorn. Changelings can still eat other kinds of food, such as berries, carrion, shrubs, grass, flowers, and garbage, although all other kinds of food are not as "delicious" or "strengthening" as others' affection. Contrary to popular belief, they do not hunt, kill, and eat other creatures (unless they are served in a platter or found as corpses in a garbage dump), nor do they ever practice cannibalism (which they consider abhorrent); when famished, they fly off in search of food.

Changelings make cricket-like chirps, flash their horns in a code, dance at the air, awkwardly gesture with their front hooves, and buzz their wings in different tempos to communicate with each other. They can also speak languages (especially Common Equestrian/"English", spoken in many universes and dimensions, and an unwritten pseudo-Greek dialect), although not as often as their queen does.

All of the approximately three and twenty million changelings naturally live in an underground hive, where they follow a hierarchy, similar to many insect-based species. On the top is the queen, who ultimately rules and commands the movement, actions, and decisions of the hive. Under her are the "elder" changelings ( _palaeyo-i_ ), from whom she appoints as among a _hooffull_ of "captains" to guide her numerous soldiers. They may look just like any other changeling, but aside from their occasional bluish-black armor, they are more experienced and skilled than the rest in fighting, strategy, seducing, disguising, and love-gathering. At the bottom of all this is the majority of the changeling horde, those unfortunate ponies from all over Equestria who were already captured and forcibly transformed _into_ such creatures, having with only a little of their original personalities with them - these reserve "soldiers" and "gatherers" also build the hive alongside their slaves, and produce its characteristic green goo structures. Below this raucous dark winged mass are tens of thousands of enslaved ponies (and every non-pony captured), willing and unwilling alike, who provide the nowadays-unsatisfying amounts of affection the changelings need to sustain themselves.

Last but not least is the basis of their name: their ability to change their physical appearances, and even some of their structure in the process. Each changeling does this by thinking of itself as another pony, and green flames burst from its legs, sweeping upwards until it has become a doppelgänger or an imposter of its target. They mainly do this to infiltrate target settlements for prey, to fool ponies into following or loving them, and for scouting, spying, or ambushing and assassinating enemies.


	2. Taming

While _Universe 75B_ , "the Equestria universe", has been guarded against various interdimensional invaders by a deadly barrier of physics-defying energy called "magic", unauthorized visitors will have to use certain technological methods to evade the barrier in order to visit that realm, and they must follow their respective tour groups in order to avoid dying in the wild or being suddenly teleported back to their homes.

Some of these invisible trespassers visit to observe the ponies, creatures, and habitats - even to the point in which some groups intentionally wanted to show themselves for the locals to turn them into ponies as an amusingly wishful punishment, only to be sent back to their own universes with no memory of their adventures there. Others arrive to "nibble" the planets for something to sell or exploit: from stealing minerals and time-travel plans from Gallopfrey, to poaching and kidnapping creatures on Equestria, such as phoenixes, dragons, ponies, and, of course, changelings; hence the horrifying myths of " _Discord unleashing Krastos the Glue-Maker and his_ Buronii _Tribe to wreak havoc across Equestria._ "

For now, we shall focus on those unfortunate changelings that had been caught in nets or drugged to sleep after wandering about or from their scouting missions. In some universes and dimensions, changelings are a popular choice of livestock, causing a spike in the amount of visitors to Universe 75B and a corresponding decline in changeling numbers. There in these universes (including ours) they were used for various purposes.

At worst, these miserable creatures were cooked and eaten at festivals or dinner, or had their horns and bodies cut to pieces and used as medicine. Some civilizations put changelings into farms to force them to create slime, which is made into a snack or as a clothing for the more affluent of their societies. Others even skin changelings to create toys and armor, or use them in duels to fight to the death. Thankfully, such foul customs are now outlawed by the authorities ruling our own universe, with the growing influence of the Anti-Interdimensional Exploitation Front.

At best, they are studied upon as yet another exotic species with some not-so-unique abilities, as there are already some other creatures and races that already have one of their traits or two. And their characteristic abilities to feed on love and changing their physical appearance could make them popular pets, although the price of each changeling can vary from as cheap as a twittering _loxugrox_ or as costly as a Mardorxan elephant.

* * *

From their birth or conversion, every changeling's mind seems to be bound to their Queen and Hive. They will instinctively do anything, even kill if ordered, when their Queen tells them, and any of her commands are fixed into the creatures' consciousness until their respective task has been completed or failed.

However, it is possible to break a changeling from the Hive Instinct, although by doing so it would torment the creature. Accounts, gathered from both visitors and locals on Equestria, include several changelings that were held deep within the cells of Canterlot Castle until they were put to menial work, and the experiences of one such specimen which wandered off and became a friend of Matilda Doodle the Donkey, suggest that they undergo convulsions, hallucinations, headaches, and seizures, episodes which last usually 6-to-8 days or even three months (Multiversal Standard Time). These effects are shorter (3 MST days-8 MST days/1 MST week) and worse outside the planet Equestria, as shown from our specimens in our laboratory: as their minds' functions gradually alter, the changelings become rabid; growling, snarling, screaming, and yowling, as if ready to snap someone's arm off and shred it to pieces.

During this transition period they do not feed. They are to be kept alone and supervised by at least one keeper, muzzled, and their horns are to be sealed to block any of their abilities from being used. They are to be force-fed with nutrients, even if such food would make them vomit, to ensure that they will not starve to death, especially after they are taken from Equestria. This dangerous state is when some civilizations use them as assault animals, either to guard people, for war, or for the infamous duels.

After the transition period, the changelings' minds have been broken from the Hive. The resulting separation severely weakens them, until they could barely walk, and their powers are greatly reduced. While this may seem like torture to disconnect the changelings from their Hive, at least they are now needy creatures, in need for some creature to care for them, to provide them love to nourish them in the process. It might also cause them to gradually develop their own wants and personalities in a course of days, and these creatures might be ready to become your pets - if you tend them well.

Editor's note: I will not be available, as I will have to attend a number of projects. Information on how to keep your changeling as a pet will be coming in a while.

\- (redacted)


End file.
